Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 1 Customer Review )

Operetta overdose!August 23, 2014By Jim D. See All My Reviews"On the theory that too much of a good thing can be wonderful, ArtHaus has put a trio of previously-released DVDs of Franz Lehar operettas into a single box, at a reduced price. These were done for German television in the 1970s, each trimmed to 90-odd minutes while preserving the best-known music. Though only one of the composer's three most famous works is here, there's still many a soaring melody in these Silver Age goodies, and a chance to watch some fine performers of the past--Teresa Stratas, Dagmar Koller, Eberhard Wachter, and Erich Kunz among them. Productions values are high, and the lip-syncing is generally well managed, although some of the re-orchestrations of the up-tempo numbers are so out of period that they sound more dated than the originals. THE COUNT OF LUXEMBURG, with its rather adult plotline, is the most successful, and probably the most faithful to the stage version. (It's also the most studio-bound, as opposed to ZIGEUNERLIEBE, almost all of which is filmed outdoors.) Appropriately to its story, the PAGANINI shows a considerable amount of skin for a television broadcast. All three videos are subtitled, and each has its own booklet with stills, synopsis, etc. As two of the three operettas seem not to have any other filmed versions available, this set is pretty much self-recommending despite the cuts."Report Abuse

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